Spirited Away Chihiro's Return
by Anime-fanfictor
Summary: Chihiro has come back to the spirit world. All is well until the light festival, where she meets a wounded dragon (previous beloved friend, Hakku) and finds out he is slowly fading between the spirit world and the underworld. Chihiro has to save him someh
1. Run Away, Escape

**Spirited Away - Chihiro's Return**

By Natalie U.

**Chapter 1: Run Away, Escape**

"Give us your bag, now!"

A girl backed herself up against a wall, defenseless. She groaned at how foolish she could be to get herself into such a situation. Had she not insulted a classmate at school this morning (even if what she has said was in fact true), she might not have the classmate's boyfriend and gang come to deal with her. She now suffered the consequences of her foolishness.

She held her bag tightly in her hand, thinking as fast as she could as to how she could solve the situation. She was up against four boys far stronger than she; however she was the fastest sprinter in the school so that even _they_ couldn't catch her. She glanced around at the four of them, thinking quickly.

Then it hit her. She braced herself for something challenging and very brave.

"You want my bag? Here, have it!"

She shoved the bag as hard as she could into the boy confronting her and ran for her life. The other boys were in too much shock to really notice her run, but they soon recovered and darted after her. She ran across roads, through parks, over barbed wire, and all over the grassy fields. She was loosing them, and wasn't really concentrating on where she was going, but anywhere that would put more distance between her and those boys.

She eventually came up to a forest, but not just any old forest. It was the forest she and her family had driven through nearly four and a half years ago, to find...

The cries of the boys became louder as she spotted them hurtling through the hills coming ever nearer. She decided to take her chances, and ran through the forest. She kept on the path for about five minutes, until she realized that she was getting tired, and that the only way she was going to get rid of the boys was by going off the path. She took a sharp left into a dense patch of scrub, used a leaf to brush away her shoe-prints, and hid herself as silently as she could.

When the boys came to where her shoe-prints had abruptly stopped in the middle of the pathway, they were utterly confused. Her heart was beating so fast, hoping that they wouldn't discover her, for if they did, they would do much worse things to her here (in solitary confinement) than out in the open. They eventually gave up the search and turned back, still baffled about her where-abouts. But they did agree to stand at the entrance to the forest, until the next morning if need be, because they felt if she had gone in, she must have to come out at sometime.

She waited until their voices couldn't be heard at all before changing her sitting position and taking a glance around the forest. She could not exit the forest by the way she had come. So she decided to continue along the path, running as fast as she could so that she could get home quickly and not arouse any suspicion. She was suddenly taking back to her original thought of what she might find. But sadness filled her heart, for she was more afraid of what she would _not_ find.

She ran down the path, which didn't seem to have been used in at least a few years. She could not remember what the path to the destination that she knew looked like, and as she tried to imagine it she lost all her senses.

She felt a dull thud in her head when she seemed to come back to herself. She regained her sight and found herself sitting on the floor of the forest, facing a stone figure she had noticed in this very forest four and a half years ago...

She had to take a deep breath before getting up to see the same tunnel. This was too much for her. She turned her back and walked away, but not far enough so that she wouldn't hear something calling "Chihiro...Chihiro..."


	2. Return to the Spirit World

**Chapter 2: Return to the Spirit World**

Chihiro couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't believe her ears. She pinched her left arm to find it still fully functional and paining more than ever. She walked to the tunnel's entrance, and peered inside. Unlike when she had exited to find that there was no way back in, now she saw a distant pale light at the end of the tunnel. She stood and watched the spot for a while, thoughts buzzing in and out of her head. She nearly started to cry she was so overjoyed and afraid. What if it had all changed? What if nobody remembered her? What if it turned out not to be her world at all?

She decided to venture through anyway. She was determined to reach the end of this tunnel, even if it did break her heart to find there was no end to it. But all she had to do was watch the light, and walk straight ahead.

And she did exactly that. For a full hour the light loomed ever closer until she realized she was up against a door that was a crack open. So maybe this tunnel's door had by chance opened just in time to save her. She opened it to find the same ancient-church-like room she and her parents had wandered through many years ago. The sundial in the corner indicated that it was 4:30pm. She stared at the door on the opposite side of the room. It beckoned to her, so naturally she went.

She opened this door with more caution. The landscape she saw before her was exactly as she had first seen it. Solid by day, probably liquid by night. She ran across the field to the top of the hill overlooking the ghost town. She did not see any spirits out and about just yet, but if she managed to linger she might be able to meet some of her old friends. She sighed with great relief.

A shriek from what seemed to be a huge bird flying overhead came piercing the land. Chihiro looked up to find Yubaba at her usual daily inspection. She didn't seem to have noticed Chihiro yet, so Chihiro quickly ducked under a large boulder and sat very still. Yubaba eventually flew away, appearing not to have seen Chihiro. Chihiro waited until Yubaba was completely out of sight before getting up and running to the ghost town. She ran and ran, looking joyously at all the shops she had once known and all the places she had visited. Just like before, nothing had changed.

She suddenly stopped, staring up at the familiar building she had been held hostage to. The bathhouse was a good twenty stories high, and in the evening as the sun was setting it made the onlooker feel overpowered by its greatness. This is how Chihiro felt at this moment.

She decided she would have to go to an old friend first, so that her presence in the ghost town would cause less havoc. She first remembered Lyn, but she would have to go into the bathhouse to find her, and she couldn't risk her name or herself again. Then she thought of Kamaji, but if he didn't recognize her he would surely sound the alarm. She then thought of _him_... but she didn't know where to find him, and he probably wouldn't recognize her (or vice versa) if she did. He could be anywhere...

She decided her only safe option was at Kamaji's, even if he didn't recognize her at a first glance. So off she went, slipping past the bathhouse and coming to the edge of the flight of stairs she had literally _flown_ down four years ago. She remembered how afraid she had been back then, and she tended to purposefully forget how steep they were. It seems her fears had not abandoned her.

She edged down the stairs carefully then, the wind forced her body to _fly_ down the stairs. When she reached the bottom and smashed into the wall, she felt aches and pains all over. Chihiro groaned as she held her hip and limped through the boiler-room doorway.

The same _sootballs_ were at their usual work, scuttling carrying coal forwards and backwards across the boiler-room floor. And sitting on his pile of wooden boxes, the man with six arms working at multiple tasks, occasionally taking a swig from a teapot passed down from generation to generation. Chihiro bravely spoke up:

"Kamaji?"

"Hmmm?" Kamaji turned and glanced at Chihiro. "Human?! Not another one! Wait a second..." he cocked an eyebrow, then dropped whatever he was doing out of shock. "Chihiro! Is that you?" they hugged like a grandfather would hug his granddaughter. "My you've grown! What a fine young specimen you've turned into! I tell you, puberty does wonders to children."

She giggled at his nonsense.

"Nothing's changed Kamaji. It's still your Chihiro."

"Boy it's good to have you back! Tell you what," he said, mischief creeping into his face. "We'll watch the look on Lyn's face when she-"

"When she what?" A stern female voice announced on the staircase.

The voice belonged to Lyn, the bathhouse woman who had helped Chihiro survive the work and lifestyle of the spirit world. When she saw Chihiro however, she dropped all her baskets and belongings in her arms and stood in complete shock.

"Chihiro?" She walked up to Chihiro and pinched her cheek. Chihiro winced and made a face one would make when tasting a lemon. "It is you!" They embraced. "We missed you kiddo! Actually coming to think about it, you're not a kid anymore! You're already taller than me! How old are you now?"

"Fourteen."

"Well that's a no-brainer then. Tell you what; my shift is over for tonight. We'll dine here tonight! I'll get some food and drink to celebrate, and we can discuss the past four years the whole night long! Chihiro can stay here with you, Kamaji. It is the safest place without anyone really noticing."

"Well I don't mind so long as you don't decide to start lodging here as well." He got a thump on the head for this comment.


	3. Dinner Discussion

**Chapter 3: Dinner Discussion **

Chihiro told them about the events that had occurred over the past four years in the human world. Kamaji and Lyn listened intently to hear about the strange occurrences and things that humans did.

"Now, it's my turn." She lay down on the sleeping bag that had been prepared for her on the floor of the boiler room. "What's been going on here?"

"Oh, nothing much." Lyn replied. "Yubaba has remained hostile towards us but treats us generally fairly. I've been working hard since you left. Turns out I needed your assistance after all." She smiled, then continued, "Zeneba has been showing up quite a few times. It seems she's trying to make peace with her sister..."

Lyn retold some trivial, funny matters over the course of an hour. Chihiro nearly fell asleep until Lyn mentioned something that yanked her out of _dreamland_.

"...and tomorrow's the great Light festival, which also means it's Hakku's birthday-"

"Hakku?" Chihiro sat up erect in her sleeping bag. The promise zoomed back into her head, as well as a combination of other thoughts.

"Yeah, Hakku..." Lyn watched Chihiro carefully. "He still gives me grief with his quiet, yet cheeky exterior. But I catch him sometimes staring out of windows sadly, and gazing into the distance..." then she added sneakily, "...hoping that a certain young girl will return into his arms..."

"That's not true!" she snapped, realizing that in fact it was, and she scowled more at herself than at Lyn. Lyn proudly continued, knowing she had Chihiro right where she wanted her.

"He turns sixteen tomorrow and God help us for his twisted ways."

"Has he changed much?" Chihiro asked, trying to sound merely interested, and _not_ overly exited.

"A fair bit in character, and in appearance. He seems to me more mature in appearance, but more immature in character." Lyn fixated a serious stare upon Chihiro's face. "Ever since you left, he has become more and more dependant on his memories of you to survive. He has attempted to change to suit the human world. He's tried changing the way he moves, the way he walks, the way he talks, the way he dresses, the way he is..."

Chihiro's face held both sleepiness and confusion, so Lyn decided to call it quits.

"That's all for a night. If you need anything just tell Kamaji and he'll get me right away. It's less risky that way. Tomorrow we'll try and disguise you somehow to suit the spirit world."

Chihiro nodded, then lay to sleep, and tried to imagine what Hakku would think of how she'd changed, or more importantly what she'd think of his change.

"Somehow..." muttered Lyn at the door, and blew the candle out.


	4. Work at the Bathhouse

**Chapter 4: Work at the Bathhouse**

Chihiro woke early in the morning to find Kamaji still asleep. She found a pile of assorted clothes, including work clothes and casual-spirit-wear. There was also a formal _kimono_, which looked very pretty indeed. A _bento-box_ sat on the floor as well, and when Chihiro opened it, she found three dividers with three different spices. They were labeled as "work", "casual", and "formal". This looked like the handiwork of Lyn, trying to aid Chihiro in her disguise as a spirit.

Chihiro spotted a note on the floor as well saying:

_Breakfast is in drawer 25._

_Change into work clothes and take a whiff of the "work" spice. _

_Wear your hair differently just in case. _

_Clear up the sleeping stuff on the floor. Put it in Kamaji's cabernet on the 3rd shelf. Put the bento box and the other clothes in there as well. _

_Meet me at the entrance to the bathhouse at the hour of 10 (am). _

_Good Luck,_

_Lyn_

She did as instructed, and went straight to the bathhouse after changing her appearance entirely. She had retied her hair into two small plaits while leaving the rest of her hair loose, to look like the other bathhouse working women. She no longer looked like a human trying to be a spirit, she looked and _smelt_ like a spirit.

As soon as she reached the entrance, she saw Yubaba taking flight off the top floor, to do her daily inspection. Chihiro acted normally, pretending not to take notice, even though she felt Yubaba stare right through her disguise. She walked into the bathhouse, relieved she was out of sight from Yubaba.

Lyn stood waiting with a mop and a bucket of coupons and tokens. She and Chihiro just walked normally down the passageway, as if doing their regular job. They didn't say a word to each other, until they were in a abandoned passageway, where they slowed down their pace to talk.

"Now all you have to do is to stick to me and help around. I assume you generally remember how to work here?"

"I suppose so..."

"Good. Now today is busier than ever so we have to work extra hard if we want to be able to attend the festival." She eyed Chihiro, knowing what was on her mind. "In other words if you want to be able to meet Hakku you're going to have to work at normal pace, meaning extra-fast pace for a human. I'm not sure how much you've slacked off, but you should be able to get used to it in about ten minutes. OK."

They had reached an important bath, in fact none other than the one Chihiro had to clean for the stink-spirit four years ago. When they got down to cleaning it, Chihiro was slow at first, but got the general gist of it in around ten minutes. They worked for hours on end, moving from bath to bath without a break, cleaning them so thoroughly so that no speck of dirt was left.

At around five in the evening, Lyn returned all equipment to the store cupboard and they went back to Kamaji's to prepare for the evening. Lyn dressed up in a midnight blue smart casual robe, which made her appear very mature indeed. The sequined stars on her robe made her look like the night sky. She found Chihiro a similar style in a light pink-yellow colour. Chihiro ended up looking young and beautiful, compared to what she usually wore. She left her hair as it was so as not to be recognized just yet.


	5. The Light Festival and the River God

**Chapter 5: The Light Festival and the River God**

They left Kamaji in absolute admiration and shock, and giggled on their way out. They walked up the stairs and onto the streets, to find festive activities taking place. The food stalls were all out, spirits were arriving by the second to watch the festival, and people performed making the night filled with happiness. Chihiro had never seen such a display, and tried to hide her shock as fireworks of many colours exploded in the sky into different shapes. A thought eventually struck her mind as they sat themselves down at a food stall to eat dinner:

"Where is Yubaba on such an important night?"

"She takes a month of Sundays to prepare herself. Goodness knows she only has three items of clothing that actually fit her. She tends to make quite an entrance at the strike of twelve."

"I see…" said Chihiro, her thoughts tailing away into the festiveness. Something was missing, and Lyn could see it in her face.

"Relax! We'll go and look for him as soon as we've finished our food."

Chihiro blushed pink just thinking about him, wondering if she looked anything special tonight, so as to make an impression upon him. Lyn seemed to read that off her face as well.

"He'll be happy to see you anyway, don't you worry." She said comforting Chihiro as a worried expression remained on her face.

They finished their food, and wandered around just looking. Lyn tried to spot Hakku, who should've been at the festival somewhere, but got distracted by a group of bathhouse ladies she knew. They started talking, and Chihiro knew that by the time they had ended, Hakku would've been long gone.

"Lyn, I'm going to look by myself. I'll meet you back at the food stall by ten."

"OK." Lyn seemed not to take any notice but continued to laugh with her friends.

Chihiro wandered around alone. Considering she was very pretty (even for a spirit), everyone seemed to notice her presence, though they didn't comment on how she smelt. She just looked somewhat familiar, although nobody could guess her identity.

After looking for an hour the clock struck 7:45. Hakku was still nowhere to be seen. She eventually came up to the edge of the gardens on the other side of the bridge, where Hakku had once taken her to meet her parents. Did she dare go through? She decided that she was willing to risk anything at the moment to just catch a glimpse of him…anything…

She started to walk through the maze of hedges until she reached the end where garden met hill. She looked down upon the pig pens, now silent as it was night time. She sat on the hill, fed up.

"_Hakku, why are you ignoring me?"_ she posed this question rather to herself than to Hakku. She sat for a while, just staring and thinking about him.

Little did she know that a snake-like figure lay basking in the cool waters of the river just beyond the pig pen. Only when there was a slight thrashing sound of water did she sit up and peer into the distance to see the snake-like figure. She decided to investigate.

After quietly running down the river, Chihiro peered around the back of the pig-pen to see what lay in the waters. What she saw was a long, silver dragon, tossing (not thrashing) as if trying to cleanse itself or take away whatever pain it was suffering in the river. She decided to address it:

"H-hello?"

The dragon turned its head to see who was addressing it. It turned out to be a beautiful young woman, not much younger than it in fact, with familiar features to that of the girl it had loved only four years ago. His emerald eyes flickered in the moonlight as they both remained still as statues.

She took the first move by taking two steps to reveal her figure. The dragon lifted itself, with fatigue, as if it had been on a very long mission (which it had). She then walked over to the edge of the river and put a hand out to touch it. The dragon rested its head and mane under her hand and sniffed it out. She felt something stir inside her, as if she knew this dragon…

She glanced at its body, which had multiple cuts, tears and scars. She felt so sorry for it, yet so connected to it. She saw pain in its face, and then a sense of longing as if it wanted something from her. She suddenly realized…the green in those eyes were too familiar to forget…

"Hakku?" she whispered, tears coming into her eyes.

He nodded his large head. She put her arms around his neck and refused to let go. Then suddenly, her feet left the ground. Clutching the neck of Hakku (who started to rise as well) she swung herself up onto his back just in time, for he suddenly took to the sky, rocketing vertically upwards.

Chihiro was afraid, for the ride was not smooth at all. Hakku was in pain, and could not control his flying abilities very well. He had to dodge fireworks and other flying objects at the last minute, jerking horribly from side to side. Chihiro could only duck into his mane and watch ahead of her.

He seemed to be speeding towards the bathhouse. He nearly crashed into the wall, narrowly missing ledges of windows and other ornaments of the building. They now went up not to the highest window, but to an extended miniature tower which Chihiro had never noticed before. There was a small terrace and beyond that a closed glass door. Chihiro was very afraid, as they got closer the doors there was no sign of them opening. Hakku himself became afraid as the glass in front of him sped closer to them. Chihiro had stopped breathing. Her heartbeat was non-existent for the next few seconds as…

Hakku slammed head-first into the glass panel, shattering the whole thing. Chihiro seemed to see it all in slow motion. The tiny pieces of glass flying around them and the sticking into hers and Hakku's skin, she watched in both fear and fascination. Then the oddest thing occurred. Hakku's body flickered from solid flesh to nothing, then back again. It was the strangest sight, even if it was the last thing Chihiro would remember in a couple of hours.


End file.
